Workers in the cleaning, security and catering sectors will rally in Dublin on Wednesday, 1st July, to demand better working conditions, decent wages and full collective bargaining rights, as the EU plans to overhaul public procurement rules.
In Dublin, SIPTU and UNI Europa, the European federation of service sector trade unions, will organise a demonstration outside the Office of Government Procurement on Mayor Street, Dublin, as Ireland assumes the Presidency of the Council of the EU on 1st July. This will place the Irish Government at the helm of negotiations on public procurement reform.
SIPTU Services Divisional Organiser, Adrian Kane, said: “SIPTU is calling on the Government to ensure Ireland’s first National Public Procurement Strategy, currently being developed by the Office of Government Procurement, includes strong protections for workers and puts collective bargaining and fair employment standards at the heart of how public contracts are awarded.
“Public procurement policy has a direct impact on the wages, conditions and job security of thousands of workers in essential contract services. Too often, contracts are awarded based on lowest cost, with little regard for the workers delivering these vital services.”
SIPTU Sector Organiser, Ed Kenny, said: “Our rally on 1st July will send a clear message to the Government that public money must be used to support decent employment standards, quality services and responsible employers. The development of the National Public Procurement Strategy is an opportunity to get this right.”
UNI Europa Head of Property Services, Michala Lafferty, who will speak at the rally in Dublin, said: “Essential workers keep our societies running, but face a race to the bottom in their daily working lives. This revision of the procurement rules is an opportunity for EU leaders to make a real difference in the lives of workers amid a rampant cost-of-living crisis. It is the most effective tool to promote collective bargaining so that workers get a real say, fair pay and good conditions.”